The present invention relates generally to vehicle closures and, more specifically, to an articulating decklid for a vehicle with a retractable top.
Most vehicles have rigid roof structures that permanently extend over and cover the passenger compartment. Manufacturers also provide a variety of designs that offer the vehicle operator the opportunity to partially or completely uncover the passenger compartment. Sunroofs and moon roofs are some of the simplest designs, and offer the opportunity to open a portion of the vehicle roof for increased airflow. More complicated designs allow the entire roof structure to be retracted and stored behind the passenger compartment. When retracted, these roof designs form a roof stack to the rear of the passenger compartment. In some designs, a storage area is provided just rearwardly of the passenger compartment and forwardly of the vehicle luggage compartment. A soft or hard cover is sometimes provided for covering the roof stack in the stored position. In other designs, the retracted roof is stored in the vehicle luggage compartment. This approach is especially useful with retractable hard top designs. In one approach, the vehicle has a decklid that articulates rearwardly to provide a forward facing opening behind the passenger compartment to receive the retracted roof structure. The decklid may then be articulated back into the closed position to cover the top stack. This gives the vehicle a finished appearance when the roof is retracted. Most consumers prefer that the trunk also be usable in a traditional manner, wherein the rear end of the decklid opens to provide a rearwardly facing opening to receive luggage or groceries. Providing a decklid that will articulate so as to provide a forward-facing opening to receive a retractable roof structure and to also open in a traditional manner to provide a rearward facing opening presents numerous mechanical challenges.
One approach to providing an articulated decklid that opens both rearwardly and forwardly, is to provide a frame which supports the decklid and provides for interconnection with the body. The frame typically articulates with the decklid when it moves in one direction and remains stationary when the decklid articulates in the other direction. The decklid then latches and pivots with respect to the frame in some positions. Examples of designs using a frame are illustrated in the following patents: U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,775,766, 5,823,606, 6,010,178, 6,164,713, 6,186,577, 6,270,144, 6,325,445, and U.S. Pat. Publication No. 2003/0020300 A1. Designs with frames, while functional, add significant cost and weight to vehicle designs. An alternative approach has been to provide frameless decklid designs. However, these designs typically include a complicated articulation mechanism that remains attached to both the decklid and the body in all positions of the decklid. Examples of these systems are shown in the following patents: U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,193,300 and 6,352,298, and U.S. Pat. Publication No. 2002/0093218. As will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, these systems are very complicated and the articulation mechanisms are heavy and expensive. In light of this, there remains a need for improved decklid articulation systems.
The present invention provides an improved articulating decklid system. In one embodiment, a frameless articulating decklid system is designed for a vehicle with a body and a retractable roof selectively covering a passenger compartment disposed in the body. The vehicle has a luggage storage compartment positioned rearward of the passenger compartment and disposed in the body. The luggage compartment has a forward end and a rearward end. The decklid system includes a decklid with a forward and a rearward end. A pair of front articulation mechanisms each have an upper portion interconnected with the forward end of the decklid and a lower portion interconnected with the vehicle body. The front articulation mechanisms each have a latched position wherein the upper and lower portions are latchedly interconnected and an unlatched position wherein the upper and lower portions are separable. The upper portion includes a multilink hinge having a retracted position and an extended position. A rear articulation mechanism has an upper portion interconnected with the rearward end of the deck and a lower portion interconnected with the vehicle body. The rear articulation mechanism has a latched position wherein the upper and lower portions are latchedly interconnected and an unlatched position wherein the upper and lower portions are separable. The lower portion includes a multilink hinge having a retracted position and an extended position. The decklid system has a first closed position wherein the front and rear actuation mechanisms are each in the latched position, the forward end of the decklid is adjacent the forward end of the luggage compartment, and the rearward end of the decklid is adjacent the rearward end of the luggage compartment. The decklid system has a second top receiving position wherein the front articulation mechanisms are in the unlatched position and the rear articulation mechanisms is in latched position. The multilink hinge of the rear articulation system is in the extended position such that the forward end of the decklid is spaced from the vehicle body so as to define a generally forward facing opening to receive the retractable roof. The decklid has a third luggage receiving position wherein the front articulation mechanisms are in the latched position and the rear articulation mechanism is in the unlatched position. The multilink hinge of each of the front articulation mechanisms is in the extended position such that the rearward end of the decklid is spaced from the vehicle body so as to define a generally rearward facing opening to receive luggage.